(a) To qualify for a home health agency license, the following requirements shall be met:

(1) Every applicant shall satisfy the following conditions:

(A) Be of good moral character. If the applicant is a firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, corporation, or company, all principal managing members thereof, and the person in charge of the agency for which application for license is made, shall satisfy this requirement. If the applicant is a political subdivision of the state or other governmental agency, the person in charge of the agency for which application for license is made, shall satisfy this requirement.

(B) Possess and demonstrate the ability to comply with this chapter and the rules and regulations adopted under this chapter by the state department.

(C) File his or her application pursuant to and in full compliance with this chapter.

(2) (A) The following persons shall submit to the State Department of Public Health an application and shall submit electronic fingerprint images to the Department of Justice for the furnishing of the person’s criminal record to the state department, at the person’s expense as provided in subdivision (b), for the purpose of a criminal record review:

(i) The owner or owners of a private agency if the owners are individuals.

(ii) If the owner of a private agency is a corporation, partnership, or association, any person having a 10 percent or greater interest in that corporation, partnership, or association.

(iii) The administrator of a home health agency.

(B) When the conditions set forth in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 1265.5, subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 1338.5, and paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 1736.6 are met, the licensing and certification program shall issue an All Facilities Letter (AFL) informing facility licensees. After the AFL is issued, facilities must not allow newly hired administrators, program directors, and fiscal officers to have direct contact with clients or residents of the facility prior to completion of the criminal record clearance. A criminal record clearance shall be complete when the department has obtained the person’s criminal offender record information search response from the Department of Justice and has determined that the person is not disqualified from engaging in the activity for which clearance is required.

(b) The persons specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) shall be responsible for any costs associated with transmitting the electronic fingerprint images. The fee to cover the processing costs of the Department of Justice, not including the costs associated with capturing or transmitting the fingerprint images and related information, shall not exceed thirty-two dollars ($32) per submission.

(c) If the criminal record review conducted pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) discloses a conviction for a felony or any crime that evidences an unfitness to provide home health services, the application for a license shall be denied or the person shall be prohibited from providing service in the home health agency applying for a license. This subdivision shall not apply to deny a license or prohibit the provision of service if the person presents evidence satisfactory to the state department that the person has been rehabilitated and presently is of such good character as to justify the issuance of the license or the provision of service in the home health agency.

(d) An applicant and any other person specified in this section, as part of the background clearance process, shall provide information as to whether or not the person has any prior criminal convictions, has had any arrests within the past 12-month period, or has any active arrests, and shall certify that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the information provided is true. This requirement is not intended to duplicate existing requirements for individuals who are required to submit fingerprint images as part of a criminal background clearance process. Every applicant shall provide information on any prior administrative action taken against him or her by any federal, state, or local government agency and shall certify that, to the best of his or her knowledge, the information provided is true. An applicant or other person required to provide information pursuant to this section that knowingly or willfully makes false statements, representations, or omissions may be subject to administrative action, including, but not limited to, denial of his or her application or exemption or revocation of any exemption previously granted.

(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 483, Sec. 18. Effective January 1, 2008.)